Custody
by lg6884
Summary: After the events of "The Tower," Princess Bubblegum is considering making a difficult decision. One that could put her' friendship with Finn and Jake in jeopardy. Will incorporate "Food Chain." This story, to the best of my knowledge, has a 100% original premise.
1. Pre Story Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**

I feel I need to address this, the story behind the story... After seeing "The Tower," I feel like we, the fans, should question somethings. A few things both for and about the characters. Similarly to when we questioned what would happen when Lady revealed she was pregnant. Is Jake really the best candidate for raising Finn?

I don't mean to sound like I'm taking this show seriously, but as far as the well belling of a character goes, Jake is a pretty irresponsible and unfit guardian.

For the past 5 seasons, Jake has

Injured Finn while the two were rough housing.

Watched Finn get murdered by bouncy bee.

Watched Finn get crystallized, when he thought that Finn was dying.

Nearly drowned Finn, while trying to help him get over his fears.

Attempted to keep an injured Finn prisoner for his birthday fantasy.

Allowed Finn to be battered and bruised by Lady's parents, granted he saved him from becoming lunch.

Had a drag out brawl over a video game.

Nearly got Finn killed by Flame Princess.

Led a robbery.

Not fully aware of any health issues Finn has, such as color blindness.

Would've allowed Finn to sacrifice himself so he, James, and Bubblegum could live.

Dunking Finn's head in a volcano.

Constantly given Finn poor advice when asked about a serious matter.

I'm not against Jake, honestly he's my third favorite character, and I admit that for every reason I came up with there's a counter point. But in almost every one of those instances he and Finn have gotten hurt.

Then there's Princess Bubblegum, she is in all honesty the most responsible and (more or less) trust worthy character. She has been there helping Finn grow and mature from on the side lines.

Here are some plausible skills we can infer that are from her' school teachings.

Finn's shown skills in engineering, including knowing how to rig a pulley system.

Finn is able to read and write, even if he does occasionally misspell.

Finn is able to construct things such as catapults.

Finn is almost never lost, meaning he is able to navigate around Ooo.

Finn seems knowledgable in parts of Ooo's history.

Due to Jake's lack of focus, something I chose not to list, and the chance that Princess Bubblegum's had a more important role in Finn's development since his parents departure (I don't accept/recognize Martin as his father.)

Because of this, I believe Princess Bubblegum is the best person for Finn to live under. Both she and Jake would fight for him and risk their lives for him. While one is more of a mischievous friend/brother and the other is... like a mother.

So, starting next chapter I'll be writing a story with what I've talked about as the main plot/focus.


	2. Chapter 1

Ever since Finn tried building that tower into outer space, Princess Bubblegum's been having a rough week. First she had to deal with the citizens of the Candy Kingdom constantly asking her what happened to her eye, make sure Finn didn't suffer any internal damage from being exposed to an alarming altitude, and make sure that James gets his medals all while trying to keep the kingdom and her people in order while it's being rebuilt. All while wearing a cast on her arm, which was also damaged along with the kingdom when Finn's tower came crashing down like a falling tree. Leaving behind only an eardrum damaging echo and a large imprint across Ooo's surface.

Although Princess Bubblegum had a lot to take care of, she could handle it. Interestingly enough however, the only thing that bothered her was Finn's recent performance in school. From the day she first met him, the Princess knew Finn was by no means a "genius" when it came to school (such as in his Math and English classes), but expected him to do better than what he got on his last test. His' final exam.

"Huh?" Princess Bubblegum said as she was more than surprised with what she saw. It was the answer sheet to Finn's final exam. She recognized Finn's handwriting, but couldn't believe any of the things he wrote as answers.

"Princess, Finn &amp; Jake are in the foyer." Peppermint Butler said as he stood in the doorway to Princess Bubblegum's study.

"Thanks, send them in please." Princess Bubblegum, politely, said to her' faithful butler.

"Hey Peebles." Finn said as he walked in, accompanied by Jake.

"Hey Princess, what's this all about?" Jake, feeling a little confused, asked.

"Hi guys." Princess Bubblegum said with a weak, transparently faux, smile.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news, Finn you're grades in school are... not passing." the Princess forcefully coughed out.

"Really? But I thought I was doing alright." Finn, disappointingly, said.

"Yeah what's up with that?" Jake, almost as confused as Finn, asked.

"Finn was doing... passable at the beginning of the year, that's true. But near the end he missed over two month's worth of schoolwork, homework, and tests. Finn was excused for a few of those days, but on his final exam... check for your' self." Princess Bubblegum explained before handing Finn &amp; Jake Finn's final exam.

Neither Finn nor Jake could believe Finn's score, or the questions he got wrong.

"Wow this is bumpsla." Finn, unhappy with his' performance, said with a groan.

"Is there anything Finn can do to bring up his grades?" Jake asked.

"Well, there is one thing..." Princess Bubblegum, hesitantly, said.

"What?" Finn and Jake asked.

"Tomorrow the kindergardeners are going on a field trip to the food chain section of the kids museum of life and science. All you have to do is accompany them on their trip and learn about the food chain. If you can answer a few questions correctly, you'll pass if not... I'm afraid I'll have to fail you." Princess Bubblegum, unhappily, said.

"Okay, I'll go." Finn said. As soon as Finn finished his' sentence, Jake gripped his arm.

"We'll both go." Jake said.

* * *

Please watch the episode entitled "Food Chain" to see how their' trip went.

* * *

Princess Bubblegum is quietly adding up Finn's extra credit points with his final. The only noise that can be heard in the room is the sound of the Princess writing accompanied by the sound of the fireplace crackling. The only other people in Bubblegum's study right now, save for her, are Finn &amp; Jake, who are impatiently awaiting for the Princess to give them Finn's overall grade. This was a bit of a difficult position for Finn and Jake, they've been caught in the jaws of death before, battled the Lich thrice, even visited the Nightosphere and Underworld without batting an eye. But when it comes to something like waiting for test results, the two feel helpless. Neither Finn nor Jake could read what Bubblegum was thinking. Whenever she was in "teacher mode" it was difficult to tell how you did, she managed to keep an unusual neutral facial expression that could mean nothing or everything. The thought of weither or not Finn passed continued to plague Finn and Jake's heads, until the only sound that they could hear (other than the still burning fire) was the sound of Princess Bubblegum putting her' pen down. The seconds that felt like hours had finally come to an end and Princess Bubblegum has finally finished Finn's grade point average.

Before anyone could say a word, Princess Bubblegum unlocked a drawer on her desk and pulled it out by the handle. Both Finn and Jake began now began sweating, not knowing what she could possibly be looking for. Soon Finn and Jake's paranoias melted away as Princess Bubblegum pulled reached over to Finn and handed him a cupcake coated with blue and yellow icing that read "Congratuations."

A huge smile quickly formed on Finn, and Jake's, face.

"You earned it." Princess Bubblegum said before the two brothers began to cheer.

"But another thing." Princess Bubblegum said, putting Finn &amp; Jake's cheers to a halt.

"I won't be able to do this every time your' grades are low. So Finn, you're gonna have to try a little harder when your classes start up again. Alright?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

"You got it PB." Finn said, having that eager face full of excitement he's known for, as he along with Jake headed towards the door carrying his' celebratory cupcake.

"Great and don't forget, my birthday's in two weeks." The Princess called as the duo left the room.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Princess Bubblegum heard Finn's voice echo.

"_So long Shoko..._" Princess Bubblegum thought to herself as she saw Finn soon disappear from her vision entirely, the two seemingly engulfed by the long hallway.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**This is a clarification that I don't think that PB is necessarily the most high on morals grounds and isn't the only reason Finn has the intelligence he possesses. I was saying that it can be interpreted as such. Also it hasn't been taking me this long to write due to reviews, a more accurate word being comments or arguments, regarding this story. I merely have over half a dozen ongoing stories that I still write for.**


	3. Chapter 2

"Yes Wildberry Princess, I'll see to it that Finn and Jake **_both _**apologize." Princess Bubblegum said to Wildberry Princess before hanging up her' phone.

"_Uh those two..._" Princess Bubblegum said aloud as she poured herself a glass of cucumber water.

Once again thanks to Finn and Jake, Princess Bubblegum was having a long week. She had just finished apologizing for Finn dating almost every princess in Ooo, the problem being that the majority of the princesses thought that their' date was more than what it really was.

"Let's see..." Princess Bubblegum said as she placed her' regal finger on her list entitled "**List of Princesses Finn _Dated_.**" With a subheading that reads "Apology Edition."

"Arm Princess... check." Bubblegum read aloud as she checked off the Princesses name, putting down her pencil to take a mouth full of her cucumber water.

"Breakfast Princess... check." The Princess continued, also having another swig of her cucumber water.

"Crab, Emerald, Gridface... check, check, check."

"Okay, now I'll just have to apologize to Lizard, Muscle, and Raggedy Princess once I arrive at The Breakfast Kingdom for this years' Princess Day on Thursday." Bubblegum said as she circled the last three Princesses' names.

"Now all I have to do is look at today's police reports and then it's off to bed." PB, feeling relieved, said before swallowing the rest of her glass so hard it passed the lump in her throat.

"Another Tree Trunks report, a noise complaint for the graveyard... I'll have to talk to the guards about that one, something with LSP, three incidents with LSP and two people charged with breaking and entering Finn &amp; Jake's treehouse?" the Princess read, catching a second wind once she saw their names.

"The perpetrators in question were... **Finn &amp; Jake?**" Bubblegum nearly exclaimed.

"Great, I'll have to deal with this in the morning too." The Princess moaned as she trotted off to bed.

Although her body may be asleep and resting, Princess Bubblegum's sharp mind was doing anything but resting. Bubblegum recently began scoping through Goliads memories to see where she went wrong, exhausting every possibility, but her data and research all points that the trouble began when Goliad was left with Jake. In her head, the princess kept denying the answer her numbers pointed to. But when she thought about how Jake really is, Bubblegum admitted to herself that she could make strong connections with how Jake acts with Goliads upbringing and her descent into control. But what's even more troubling for her is what this could mean for Finn; when Finn built his tower into space, Jake didn't even try to stop him. When she tried to warn Finn and Jake about Flame Princess, Jake literally started daydreaming as soon as the princess began to explain the dangers of her elemental matrix which almost killed Finn, Flame Princess, and all of Ooo.

Eventually Bubblegum began to dream, but rather than the usual formulas and equations: Bubblegum was dreaming about Finn and Jake running in a field. The field seemed nice and happy, with no visible enemies or predators around them. But Jake wandered to a bush full of dark red berries, they were lethal berries full of juices that were used for horse tranquilizers. Not knowing what they are, Jake happily picked the bush clean of all its' berries; carrying every last berry in a basket shaped hand. The next phase of Bubblegum's dream featured Jake evenly dividing the berries so the two could have an eating contest. As soon as Jake said "go," Princess Bubblegum watched her two friends ingest enough berries to kill a bear twice the size of a normal bear. In no time at all, likely due to it being a dream, Finn and Jake's faces were a sickly shade of green. Jake merely grew to a gigantic size and had his, now super sized, liver help him survive, but Finn… Finn was not as lucky as his body soon began to stiffen and sporadically contort violently until the human drew his last breath.

"What the nuts!" Bubblegum shouted as she awoke from her sleep, covered in sweat and a slight tremble. As she was trying to catch her breath, the princess heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Princess, may I come in?" Peppermint Butler asked from the other side of PBs' door.

"Wha?" the Princess said to her self.

"Yeah, come in." she called out to her butler.

Peppermint Butler slowly opened the door, looking a bit nervous as he did so. The door let out a somewhat loud creak as the princesses butler finished pushing the door open. He was quiet as he stood in the doorway, the Princess noticed two banana guards peering in, after another second the butler finally spoke.

"We were walking by when we heard noises coming from your room. Is everything alright?" Peppermint Butler asked, almost sounding frightened.

The princess paused for a moment, taking the time to gather her thoughts and steady her mind. The truth is, Princess Bubblegum isn't entirely sure. She knows that her dreams as opposed to being a product of fantasy are subconsciously calculated simulations and possibilities that can, on a later date, come into fruition.

"Yeah everything's fine, just a bad dream." Princess Bubblegum said, believing that her answer would be enough to quiet their concerns.

"That must've been some dream." Peppermint Butler said, secretly becoming more concerned by her answer.

"Will that be all then?" Pepermint Butler, deceptively, asked in a rather at ease tone.

The princess wanted to put in a request for a chariot so she could check on Finn &amp; Jake, but she didn't say a word. She knew there would be no point in seeing if they're alright when she doesn't even know if they're in danger. without another option, Bubblegum signaled for her subjects to leave her. Not knowing of the plan Peppermint Butler will soon begin prepping for: figuring out the cause of the princesses distress and eliminating it.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Anyone else seen/remember what Jake and his' actions almost resulted in Furniture and Meats?**

**Jake and his' irresponsibility got him and Finn on Wildberry Princesses' hit list, a state of bankruptcy, and nearly killed. Oh and they lost their house.**

**I'm not sure if I'll continue this, or any of my other stories for that matter. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to finish this chapter. I question if I even like writing anymore, it's becoming more and more like work rather than fun.**


	4. Just An Update

**Author's Notes**

* * *

Okay I wasn't 100% on if I'd continue or not, I'm still not, but after seeing "The Pajama Wars" (which is an awesome, laid back, episode I totally recommend)... I uh I think I just might have it in me to at least do one more chapter.


End file.
